Abstract The research presented was aimed at determining the errors and difficulties presented by secondary school students in a Colombian public educational institution when faced with the solution of algebraic procedures. A contribution is sought to contribute to studies that monitor the performance of the teaching and learning processes of students. The methodology was based on the quantitative paradigm with a descriptive design, for which two instruments were applied to detect errors and difficulties in students. The results allowed to detect that, of the 12 errors that were taken as dimensions, six are significantly replicated, the most significant being the simple calculation error, unfinished procedure and the errors when performing arithmetic-algebraic operations. Participants allege associated difficulties, mostly to teaching problems, which generated guidelines aimed at teachers in order to raise didactic situations related to error as a source of learning.